(tn.gov/Peg Broadcasting News)
Tennessee’s statewide unemployment rate for April 2021 decreased by double digits when compared to data from the previous year. In April 2020, the state’s jobless rate reached a record high during the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tennessee’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted rate for April is 5%. That’s down 0.1 of a percentage point from March’s revised rate of 5.1%.
Employers across Tennessee added 9,800 jobs between March and April of 2021. The retail trade sector accounted for the largest number of new jobs, while the accommodation/food services and professional/scientific/technical services sectors had the second-and-third-largest gains for the month.
Between April 2020 and April 2021, Tennessee’s economy made a remarkable rebound with the addition of 287,400 jobs. The state’s leisure/hospitality industry put the most people back to work over the last 12 months, followed by the trade/transportation/utilities and manufacturing sectors.
Nationally, seasonally adjusted unemployment increased slightly to 6.1%, up 0.1 of a percentage point from March’s revised rate of 6%. In a year-to-year comparison, the United States rate is down 8.7% from where it was in April 2020.